Competition is heating up

But Chinese AI toy companies have their sights set beyond the nation’s borders. BubblePal was launched in the US in December 2024 and is now also available in Canada and the UK. And FoloToy is now sold in more than 10 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Germany, and Thailand. Rui Ma, a China tech analyst at AlphaWatch.AI, says that AI devices for children make particular sense in China, where there is already a well-established market for kid-focused educational electronics—a market that does not exist to the same extent globally. FoloToy’s CEO, Kong Miaomiao, told the Chinese outlet Baijing Chuhai that outside China, his firm is still just “reaching early adopters who are curious about AI.”

China’s AI toy boom builds on decades of consumer electronics designed specifically for children. As early as the 1990s, companies such as BBK popularized devices like electronic dictionaries and “study machines,” marketed to parents as educational aids. These toy-electronics hybrids read aloud, tell interactive stories, and simulate the role of a playmate.

The competition is heating up, however—US companies have also started to develop and sell AI toys. The musician Grimes helped to create Grok, a plush toy that chats with kids and adapts to their personality. Toy giant Mattel is working with OpenAI to bring conversational AI to brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels, with the first products expected to be announced later this year.

However, reviews from parents who’ve bought AI toys in China are mixed. Although many appreciate the fact they are screen-free and come with strict parental controls, some parents say their AI capabilities can be glitchy, leading children to tire of them easily. 

Penny Huang, based in Beijing, bought a BubblePal for her five-year-old daughter, who is cared for mostly by grandparents. Huang hoped that the toy could make her less lonely and reduce her constant requests to play with adults’ smartphones. But the novelty wore off quickly.

“The responses are too long and wordy. My daughter quickly loses patience,” says Huang, “It [the role-play] doesn’t feel immersive—just a voice that sometimes sounds out of place.”